Call Girl

As Erin walked into one of the finest restaurants she’d ever seen, with Harry’s hand wrapped cozily around hers, she felt like she was on Cloud 9. She was nervous – terrified, really – because this was the first time she and Harry were going on what she would call an official date. Nothing else counted, because she’d never had her heart in it before, but this did. This felt different, and new, and exciting, and Erin was both thrilled and petrified at the same time.

She’d been on countless dates with nameless men, but none of those experiences had prepared her for her date with Harry, and honestly, if her job wasn’t good for that, what else was it good for? Money, that’s right.

Erin’s heart was pounding something fierce, but she did her best not to let it show. Acting was one thing her job did prepare her for. Acting like she cared. Acting like she wasn’t disgusted. Acting like she was ready.

“So, what do you think?” Harry asked, smiling at Erin as the hostess sat them at their table. It was far in the back, away from everyone else, and Erin found herself wondering why he was always able to get the best accommodations. Even some of the richest men she dated couldn’t do that.

“Of what?” Erin questioned as she folded her napkin across her lap. “Of your hair?”

“No, of – wait, is something wrong with my hair?”

Harry’s eyes grew wide in shock, and his hand quickly flew to the top of his head where he patted his curls for any sort of discrepancies. It was perfect, though, just like it always was.

“No, no. It looks fine,” Erin said quickly, chuckling as she watched him frantically try to fix the nonexistent flaw.

“Then why did you –”

“I was joking,” she smiled, laughing slightly as his frantic look turned into a smile. “People do that, you know.”

Harry smirked at her then, and she couldn’t help but feel her heart slowly melting in her chest. Was that what it felt like to feel something real for a boy? That was a question for another day, and Erin chuckled as Harry tightened his eyes at her.

“I did know that, as a matter of fact.” He pressed his lips together as he folded his napkin across his lap, same as Erin had. “I was just checking to make sure you did.”

Erin couldn’t believe how much more easily conversation flowed with Harry than with other men. More than that, she couldn’t believe how much differently he made her feel than anyone else had. He had this special way of making her feel like she actually mattered, and that was sweeter than candy.

When they’d finished eating their meals, Erin was three bites beyond stuffed, but she almost wanted to order dessert just so they could stay longer. She wasn’t ready for the night to end. Harry wasn’t either.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Harry asked, pulling the door open for Erin as they walked out of the restaurant. She nodded her head quickly as she looked out at the parking lot for her small car. That was the first time she hated herself for having the rule that no guy could pick her up at her house, because she would have loved to have that extra fifteen minutes with Harry that would amount to the time it took to drive back to her apartment.

Curse her and her stupid rules.

“I really did,” she said, nodding her head again. “Thank you for inviting me.”

Harry chuckled, looking over at her with a sideways smile. “You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do,” Erin said quickly. “I really enjoyed myself. So thanks.”

“Erin, you really don’t need to. I’m the one who invited you, not the other way around.”

They’d already reached Erin’s car when Harry finished his sentence, and she thought briefly about pretending she lost her keys so she could stay there, in that moment, for a little while longer.

Erin opened her mouth to protest again, but before she could, Harry shushed her with his raised hand.
“Just be quiet and take the compliment,” he chuckled before giving her the smirk that made her legs go numb.

“If you insist,” Erin said, letting out a deep breath in defeat. Harry smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back, because he was just so sincere in everything that he did. Nothing about him was fake and everything about him was honest – the exact opposite of her. He was sweet and charming, and that was something she could feel herself falling into.

The look on Harry’s face showed that he wanted to say something else, but she had no clue what, and it didn’t look like he was going to be saying it anytime soon. He simply looked at her, while his thoughts raced to churn out an answer to whatever question his mind was posing.

Erin thought she couldn’t wait any longer, but instead of speaking, he moved slowly forward as his hand moved up to her face. She felt his finger run over her cheek, causing her hair to stand up everywhere he touched. He was like magic against her, and when he’d reached the point of no return, where his lips were just inches away from hers, she fell forward so effortlessly into him.